"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."- George Santayana

She fingers the chopsticks she tucked in the side of her pants when they left the banquet hall. A souvenir to remember the donation her lover made to “Wake up America before it’s too late” to “Restore America’s decency laws” to “Return to the values of our American Fathers”

During the car ride home, they jab the under part of her ribs She shifts her shoulders to dislodge them from her flesh “When did they stop teaching American history?” the speaker blared

She barely makes it to the porch without one of them sliding down her leg. He kisses her goodnight, waiting for the invitation that doesn’t come “Don’t tread on me,” cried the man at the podium

She kisses him back, one hand on the small of his neck, the other on the door behind her

She navigates her dark entryway, taking small measured steps “This is my country and I'm not surrendering it”

Blood splashes the white floor of her tidy bathroom “They took history out of our schools!”

Lest she would’ve known to use a coat hanger

Author Bio:Pamela Emigh Murphy is a teacher, sister, wife, and proud mother of two sons who love and value the women in their lives. She is a founding member of Straw Mat, a women’s writing group in Rochester, NY. While she has a particular interest in issues that continue to confront women into the 21st century, she works to challenge the social prescriptions of gender, with the hope of improving the lives of both men and women. She is a professor of English at Monroe Community College where she teaches women’s literature, American literature, and courses that explore the intersections of science and the humanities. As a ghost-writer, she has authored two articles published in The Alpenhorn, a national magazine publication for the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America and recipient of the prestigious Maxwell Medallion Award from the Dog Writers Association of America. She busies herself with bird watching, agility dog contests, and reading incessantly. Her favored pastime is simply being (and writing, of course).